My mutterings on life, thoughts and actions.

UK Independence Party

At a time where defection to UKIP from the Conservative Party is the fashionable thing to do, what does it say about the quality of a Tory MP when UKIP tells you that you’re not wanted. That is just what has happened to Richard Graham. In a comment on Richards day 1 summary of the Tory Party Conference, the Chairman of Gloucester UKIP, Mike Smith, said “I do hope Mr Graham has no thoughts of defecting to us!”

While Mr Graham may have no intention of defecting, (though with the stepping back of the current UKIP candidate, there is clearly a position) to be told no before even asking sends a clear message about what even UKIP think about his tenure as an MP. Here is a shocker, for once I agree with UKIP, lets tell Richard Graham ‘No’ in May and elect Sophy Gardner to do a proper job.

The Conservatives in the Grange Ward on the run up to the elections has been resembling something of a soap opera, with the incumbent being deselected and then reselected, the previous County Councillor defecting to UKIP and residents are concerned, annoyed and bemused depending on what their voting intention was.

The previous Conservative Councillor, Vic Rice, was one of the two councillors for Quedgeley which included Grange, and Vic largely looked after the Grange side of things for his one term of office. There was a lot of speculation at the time about why he did not re-stand, but while out canvassing today, his proud UKIP poster was noted and maybe the puzzle has been solved.

Then there is the current City Councillor, Nigel Hanman, who was deselected in favour of a Richard Graham protegé. While many complain that Nigel doesn’t do very much, it seems this irked him because he went and told the press, and anyone else that would listen, that he would stand as an independent. Given that the Tories lost their deputy leader in 2012 to Chris Chatterton, and then I won last year, they clearly had a change of heart because the new candidate has found themselves dumped and Nigel Hanman is back on the Conservative ticket.

Wonder what new twist we will see in the final weeks before the election? Will Nigel and the Tories get over their Tiff? Will Grange Tories get over their previous Councillor leaving them? Find out in the next episode…….dum, dum, du, du, du, du, da, da, da…. (just how do you write the closing beats to Eastenders?)